Armenia And Her People - free ebook by George H. Filian

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Armenia And Her People

George H. Filian

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Dedication

Dedication

IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE MARTYRS OF ARMENIA WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES FOR CHRIST THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED I. PAGE. The Land of Armenia , 21 II. The People of Armenia , 39 III. The Armenian Dynasties , 45 IV. Rulers of The Ottoman Empire , 132 V. The Great Powers and The Armenian Question , 175 VI. The Causes of the Atrocities , 217 VII. The Turkish Atrocities in Armenia , 239 VIII. The Armenians of To-Day , 334 IX. The F

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PREFACE.

PREFACE.

I was born January 20, 1853, in a suburb of Antioch; twelfth child and youngest son of a family of nine boys and four girls, and therefore considered the Joseph of the family, and as a small boy went to a missionary school with my elder brothers. My father was a banker and merchant. His partner in the former business was Mr. Edward Barker, English consul at Aleppo; in the latter a Greek, Jabra Antaki, their traffic being in raw silk, for which and for silk-worms Antioch is a great center. Millio

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ANTIOCH.

ANTIOCH.

Translation of a letter (see opposite page) written in 1842 by the District Catholicos at city of Sis to Kevork Filian (father of the author) in Antioch: Red Seal of Catholicos. Symbol in colors representing an Altar. Symbol in colors representing the name Jesus Christ. Michael Catholicos, The servant of Jesus Christ by the grace of our Lord, the supreme father of all Armenians who live in Great Seleucia. I the servant of St. Gregory’s right hand and most Holy throne of the Holy Mother Church. G

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AUTHOR’S EXPLANATION.

AUTHOR’S EXPLANATION.

Where is Armenia? It seems a simple question, yet during my lecturing in the United States I have met far more people who did not know than who did. That is natural enough, for until the late horrors, it seemed little more than a name of old history, of no present importance; but there is a further reason. The present Sultan forbids the use of the name altogether, and insists on the district being termed Kurdistan, or called by the names of its vilayets, Diarbekr, Van, Erzroom, etc. Many maps do

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PHYSICAL FEATURES.

PHYSICAL FEATURES.

The mineral wealth of Armenia is very great; but like the other potential riches of the Turkish Empire, it profits nobody, not even the greedy despot whose word is death. Gold, silver, copper, iron, and minor metals, besides marble and other beautiful stones, are present in abundance. About three miles from Marsovan, where I preached, is a mountain called Tarshan Dagh (rabbit mountain), rich in gold; another called Goomish Dagh, about eight miles west, is laden with silver; and they are likely t

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NATURAL RESOURCES.

NATURAL RESOURCES.

But when this wheat is threshed out, the farmer cannot shovel it up and grind, or sell, or put it into bins; no indeed! He cannot take up a quart of it without permission from the government; for the government claims one-eighth of it as a tax,—it was always a “tithe” or tenth from the oldest historic times down to the present Sultan, but he raised the percentage to an eighth,—and it must stay on that exposed threshing floor, in rain or winds, or any sort of weather, till the tax-gatherer comes

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TAXATION.

TAXATION.

Armenia, in my belief, is the healthiest country in the world; I do not say one of the healthiest, but the very healthiest. The climate is excellent all the year round, and, though the winters are severe, and much of the country is covered with snow, yet on account of the elevation—being several thousand feet above sea level, and in latitude 36° to 42°, or say from North Carolina to Massachusetts—the air is dry, pure, and agreeable, a preventative of disease, and conducive to longevity. The drea

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THE CLIMATE.

THE CLIMATE.

Both are as hard in Armenia as they can be, short of impossibility. In the Russian section the roads are as good as in any part of Russia, and there are railroads; but in Persian and Turkish Armenia there are none of the latter, and the roads are very poor bridle-paths. A few years ago the government levied an extra tax to build “Shosse Yolou” or macadamized roads for carriages; but most of the money was spent as usual, in a good time for the Turkish officials; the roads built were wretched, and

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TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION.

TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION.

A more modern way of travel is in springless carriages; which on the rough roads means racking your body horribly, bones, nerves, and all, into outright and often severe suffering, a pain and fatigue which the traveler feels for a long time. At evening all travelers must go to a caravanserai or khan; often they are all huddled into a single room, men, women, and children, and the room is invariably filthy, and full of every kind of vermin. Such getting about is constant torment. There is no safe

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THEIR LINEAGE.

THEIR LINEAGE.

The tongue spoken by the Armenians is one of the great family now known as the Aryan languages; certainly one of the oldest of them if there is any difference in the ages of the different branches, though that really means nothing. It has no relation whatever to the Semitic tongues like Chaldee or Phoenician, nor the Tataric tongues of Scythia, though those were in the earlier ages its nearest neighbors, while it is blood brother to languages so widely separated as Irish on the west and Hindoo o

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THEIR LANGUAGE.

THEIR LANGUAGE.

As already mentioned, Haig was the founder of the Armenian kingdom. He can scarcely be called a king, because in his time there was not a great Armenian nation; it was rather a tribe, and Haig was chief or governor. His position was like that of Abraham; what would now be called a sheikh; and like Abraham, he was a worshiper of the true God. Haig went from the highlands of Armenia to the plains of Shinar to help build the Tower of Babel. During the progress of the work, Belus, a warlike giant, d

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1. THE HAIGAZIAN DYNASTY.

1. THE HAIGAZIAN DYNASTY.

Aram was succeeded by his son Ara, called “Ara the Beautiful.” The fame of his beauty went abroad through the world; the Assyrian queen Semiramis was so enchanted by the sight of his person that she fell madly in love and proposed marriage to him, but he refused her. This military Amazon was not to be balked so. She resolved to marry him by force, and came with a great army to Armenia to capture the prize; but he was killed in the war, and she took possession of the country, with which she was s

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ARSHAGOONIAN OR ARSACID DYNASTY.

ARSHAGOONIAN OR ARSACID DYNASTY.

The history of Artavasdes’ reign is in essence the history of the next four centuries, save that the results were incomparably worse. We have been dealing with a time at least of steady, single-handed government, of able rulers either inside or outside, of some sort of ability to keep the civil structure of the country from breaking to pieces; but even that disappears over long periods in the early centuries of the Roman Empire. One great secret of Armenia’s misery during these ages of woe—indee

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THE INTERREGNUM.

THE INTERREGNUM.

This was the great creator of Armenian scholarship. He was a descendant of St. Gregory; studied in the Greek schools of Caesarea during boyhood; later in those of Constantinople, where he became famous for learning, married a Greek princess of a distinguished house, and on his return to Armenia was made pontiff. (All the clergy were married then, as the Greek priests are now.) He founded over 2,000 schools, and benevolent institutions, as well as great numbers of churches, was a powerful and per

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PROMINENT MEN OF THE PERIOD.

PROMINENT MEN OF THE PERIOD.

Isaac was educated at Constantinople like his father, and had at first no thought of being a great churchman, but only of leading the life of a noble. He was always, however, of a very pure and lofty character, a marked contrast to the proud and dissolute nobility around him; and after the early death of his wife, devoted himself to religious seclusion, into which he was followed by sixty disciples. In 389, a few years after his father’s death, he was called out to fill the pontificate, once mor

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ARMENIAN LITERATURE.

ARMENIAN LITERATURE.

The leading authors in this century are Abraham Mamigonian, who wrote on the Council of Ephesus; and Bedross Sounian, who wrote on the Life of Christ. There are, however, many others of merit. By far the greatest name in this century, and indeed the best-known and most important name in Armenian literature altogether, is the writer who calls himself Movses Khorentzi, well known to all historical scholars as Moses of Chorene, author of the History of Armenia. For more than a thousand years, up to

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THE ARMENIAN CHURCH.

THE ARMENIAN CHURCH.

Secondly, the Armenian has never been a persecuting church, and every other one of the great Christian churches has been. The Armenian church, as befits the first and most Christ-like of all the bodies that professed Christ before Luther’s time, has always been the broadest, the most inclusive, the most untechnical of churches. It fellowships with all other churches. It demands only that men shall profess and believe in Christ, and live Christian lives; not that one shall belong to its own churc

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THE ARMENIAN CLERGY.

THE ARMENIAN CLERGY.

The Armenian Catholicos is the spiritual head of the Armenian church; he has nothing to do with politics. He is considered to be fallible, and he is elected both by bishops and laymen; and if the nation is not satisfied with him, they may remove him and elect another. He is a presiding bishop. He lives at Etchmiazin (the former Vagharshabad) north of Mt. Ararat in Russia; it has been the seat of the Pontiff since the time of St. Gregory. The present Catholicos is Rt. Rev. Bishop Mugurditch Kirim

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THE PAKRADOONIAN DYNASTY.

THE PAKRADOONIAN DYNASTY.

To go back to Armenia itself. The reason a feudal anarchy always ends in a military monarchy, no matter how able or self-willed every one of the separate chiefs may be, is that this very class most interested in perpetuating it grow weary of it. The stronger barons oppress and plunder the weaker, who are always superior in numbers, and in united strength if they will act together. A small lord may like to be free from control by the king’s officers as well as a great one; but if he can only have

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THE RUPENIAN DYNASTY.

THE RUPENIAN DYNASTY.

It was during these times that the hard-pressed Armenians received promises from the Popes to help them against their enemies if they would use the Roman ritual and ceremonial, and submit themselves to the papacy. The country never did accept Romanism, though some churches introduced the ritual and images, and conformed to the Roman fashion; and of course it never did get any help from the popes, who had nothing to give but recommendations, which the temporal powers paid no attention to. Levon V

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SULTANS OF THE PAST.

SULTANS OF THE PAST.

Some of the above Sultans have special titles, like our “William the Conqueror,” “Charles the Bold,” “Henry Beauclerk,” etc. Thus, gazi and fatih mean conqueror; adil, righteous; guendj, young; yavouz, brave; kanooni, law-giver; yelderim, lightning; chelebi, gentleman. Most of them have the title gazi, or conqueror; the present Sultan bears it because he fought with Russia. He was beaten, to be sure, but he took the title all the same. Sultan Mohammed II, who captured the city of Constantinople,

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THE PRESENT SULTAN, HAMID II.

THE PRESENT SULTAN, HAMID II.

To go back a little: Twenty years ago Abdul Aziz, uncle of the present Sultan, was the ruler of the Ottoman Empire. He cared little for the country or the people; he wanted only to eat and drink, and have good times. He was a very strong and hearty man, and I was told he could eat a whole roast lamb for dinner, and think it probable. He had the innate cruelty of his family, their love of blood for its own sake. He had tigers and lions fight together; he would order a live lamb flung to a lion, a

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THE SULTANATE AND ITS POWERS.

THE SULTANATE AND ITS POWERS.

The Sublime Porte, or in Turkish Babi-Ali, is the cabinet of the Turkish government, as follows:— There is no election in Turkey; all officers are appointed by the Sultan, who can dismiss any of them at any time, and appoint some one else, and I have already explained why he almost always appoints bad ones. The Sublime Porte has no power to decide anything; it is simply a farce council to cheat the European powers; a dumb tool in the hands of the Sultan. For instance, the Sultan calls the Grand

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THE SUBLIME PORTE AND THE MOHAMMEDAN RELIGION.

THE SUBLIME PORTE AND THE MOHAMMEDAN RELIGION.

When people read about the Sublime Porte after this, I hope they will understand that there is not really any Sublime Porte; that it is a mere name, an echo, a farce, a show to bunco the world with. Some newspaper and other writers think it is “impartial” to say that the Sultan means well, but he has a “corrupt ministry”; that it is the Sublime Porte that ruins the Turkish Empire; if it were left to the Sultan, he would reform the country; he would not let the Armenians be massacred. Put no fait

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THE SHEIK-UL-ISLAM.

THE SHEIK-UL-ISLAM.

Nobody who has not lived in Turkey can realize how hopeless, almost self-contradictory, it is to talk of “reforming” Turkey. It could not be reformed and be Mohammedan Turkey; the lack of reform or power of reform is just what makes it what it is. The root of the evil is Mohammedanism itself; it is embodied social stagnation, corruption, ultimate ruin. Neither the Sultan nor the Turks can improve the state of the Empire, even if they wished. The usual “broad-minded” statements about Mohammed and

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MOHAMMEDANISM AND THE INTERNAL STATE OF TURKEY.

MOHAMMEDANISM AND THE INTERNAL STATE OF TURKEY.

The whole Mohammedan system is designed to make the gratification of lust as easy and plentiful as possible short of a promiscuity that would lead to civil anarchy. A Mohammedan can divorce his wife any time he pleases by paying back her dower, and marry another and do likewise; every week, or day if he sees fit, and he can remarry and redivorce the first one as often as he pleases. It is like trading horses; as little sentiment or morality in one as the other; the slightest possible regulation

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THE ANGLO-TURKISH CONVENTION.

THE ANGLO-TURKISH CONVENTION.

If England had wished to solve this question, she could have done it long ago; but she never cared to. When Mr. Gladstone was in power, he tried to do it, but his Cabinet overbore him. He did, however, show by isolated cases what power England had if she chose to exercise it. After I was banished by the Turkish government, two native Christian ministers supplied my pulpit. They were sentenced to death on a false charge, but Gladstone threatened the Sultan, and the latter commuted the sentence to

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ENGLAND AND THE ARMENIAN QUESTION.

ENGLAND AND THE ARMENIAN QUESTION.

Important Treaty Provisions. The treaty of 1856, Mr. Gladstone continued, gave the powers the right to march into Armenia and take the government of the country out of the hands of Turkey, and under the treaty of 1878 the Sultan was bound to carry out reforms. The ex-Premier made three proposals:—First, that the demands of the powers should be moderate; second, that no promises of the Turkish authorities should be accepted; and third, that the powers should not fear the word “coercion.” “We have

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GERMANY AND THE ARMENIAN QUESTION.

GERMANY AND THE ARMENIAN QUESTION.

The present Czar, Nicholas II, is a corrupt weakling, who is on the throne by the law of heredity, against the will of his father. Morally he is as bad as the Sultan; not so cruel yet, though he may develop that in time, but fully as sensual and devoid of principle. I have had it from good Russian authority that his life before his marriage was so bad that it has rendered him entirely impotent. “Birds of a feather flock together.” No wonder he helps the Sultan. His political aims and character a

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RUSSIA AND THE ARMENIANS.

RUSSIA AND THE ARMENIANS.

For the present the Czar will do no more mischief, because he is to have his coronation in May, and prefers to put on the smoothest outside to every nation; but after that is over he will show his hand. His father and his grandfather favored the Armenians in Russia, and they prospered wonderfully, but this one proposes to persecute them to please the Sultan. The two will join in a common policy toward the unhappy race, till not less than a million are slain. The Czar’s motive is not love of the

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FRANCE AND ARMENIA.

FRANCE AND ARMENIA.

Pope Leo XIII sent 70,000 lire to the Armenian sufferers; probably to the Catholics alone, for there are about 100,000 Catholic Armenians in Turkey. But the Armenians can expect no help from the Pope; he has no troops; he has no great fund of spare money, and he would be very unlikely to use either if he had them. The motive of all the Popes has been to convert the Protestant Armenian Church to become a part of the Roman Catholic Church,—to acknowledge the Papacy. I say Protestant, for before Ma

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THE POPE OF ROME AND THE ARMENIANS.

THE POPE OF ROME AND THE ARMENIANS.

Now we cross the ocean and come to the United States. Everywhere here the people have shown the greatest sympathy for us; and the Armenians are deeply moved and exceedingly grateful for it. The newspapers have almost uniformly been on our side also; the only exception of any moment has been the New York “Herald,” which has steadily favored the Sultan. The reason is the same as for General Wallace’s like opinion of that worthless animal,—mistaking his entertainments and gifts for proofs of good c

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AMERICA AND ARMENIA.

AMERICA AND ARMENIA.

Cardinal Gibbons’ letter sent to the meeting was as follows: “I regret my inability to attend the meeting to protest against the alleged outrages recently committed in Armenia. “The reports of these outrages have been published with harrowing details throughout the civilized world, and I am not aware that these circumstantial details have been successfully denied. “The Christians of Armenia have been conspicuous among their Oriental co-religionists for their enlightened and progressive spirit. “

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THE GREAT QUESTION.

THE GREAT QUESTION.

Why the Sultan orders the Turks, Kurds, or other followers to destroy the Armenians, whereby more than 100,000 of them have recently been killed, and 500,000 been rendered homeless and left to die of starvation in the streets and fields, or why the Sultan ordered all who are spared to accept the Mohammedan religion, is never referred to with any sort of correctness by the newspapers or periodicals in their accounts of the dreadful atrocities taking place in Armenia, and therefore the people are

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FIRST CAUSE.

FIRST CAUSE.

This seems frivolous and incredible, but it is true; namely, a dream of the Sultan. Some six years ago, a report was circulated in Constantinople about this dream. It was, that in his sleep the Sultan saw a little tree planted in the center of his kingdom. It began to grow larger and larger, till it covered the whole Turkish Empire, and overshadowed even the mountains. All the nations of Turkey dwelt under its glorious and majestic shade. Still it grew, till the branches crossed the oceans and c

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SECOND CAUSE.

SECOND CAUSE.

The Mohammedan population in Turkey is decreasing, and the Christians are increasing. When the present Sultan captured the throne from his brother Murad, Turkey had 40,000,000 people; as soon as he girded the sword of Osman, he began the great battle with Russia, and after the Turko-Russian war he found himself with 18,000,000. Who are the lost? Roumania, Bulgaria, Servia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Herzegovina, a part of Macedonia, Cyprus, and a part of Armenia. Practically the whole of Europe was los

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THIRD CAUSE.

THIRD CAUSE.

Hence the Mohammedans are fast decreasing in Turkey, and the Sultan is terrified, and hopes by killing a large part of the Christians, and forcing the survivors to accept Mohammedanism, that their power of multiplication may be the boon of a Mohammedan people. Out of the 18,000,000 inhabitants of Turkey, 6,000,000 are native Christians, about half of them Armenians. This leaves only 12,000,000 for the whole Mohammedan population in the present Turkish dominion; and it grows less, while the Chris

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FOURTH CAUSE.

FOURTH CAUSE.

This is perhaps the greatest of all. It is the American missionary work in Armenia. It was in 1831 that the American Board of Foreign Missions established the first Protestant mission there. Their purpose was to send missionaries, not simply to the Armenians, but to all classes and sects in Turkey. Those pioneer American missionaries were among the noblest of men, and greatest of teachers, preachers, and organizers. I will name a few: Dr. Goodell, Dr. Dwight, Dr. Schaffler, Dr. Cyrus Hamlin, fou

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FIFTH CAUSE.

FIFTH CAUSE.

When the noble missionaries went to Turkey, the Turks hated them, the Jews hated them, the Greeks hated them, and these three peoples hate them still. But the Armenians welcomed them; they loved and esteemed them, and they love and esteem them more than ever now. The question is often asked “Are not the Armenians a Christian people? Then why did the missionaries go there?” Yes, they are; but still they needed the missionaries, and need them now more than ever. Why? Well, for two reasons. Their c

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THE BEGINNING.

THE BEGINNING.

KURD CHIEFS. KURD WOMAN. Zekii Pasha is said to have had 40,000 Kurds and regular soldiers under his command when he began the massacre. The people of Sassoun, knowing that they were doomed, fought desperately. They repulsed the Kurds several times, and killed many of them; but finally the regular soldiers took part, pretending to come in aid of the Armenians, and overbore them, killing all without quarter. The Sultan’s order was to spare neither man, woman, nor child; but as the men met the ene

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HARPOOT AND ITS VICINITY.

HARPOOT AND ITS VICINITY.

A PORTION OF HARPOOT. 15,000 Armenians killed in this city and vicinity. The Turk, whose document is thus translated, figures that the total deaths in the province of Harpoot during the scenes, have been 39,334; the wounded 8,000; houses burned, 28,562; and that the number of the destitutes is 94,870. “In a letter just received (Jan. 18, 1896) from the Rev. H. N. Barnum, D.D., of Harpoot, Eastern Turkey, where the property of the American Board was burned, he says that reports have been secured

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PALOO AND WHAT HAPPENED THERE.

PALOO AND WHAT HAPPENED THERE.

But here is another letter, from an Armenian mother to her son in this country, which brings us still closer to the actual horrors, for this woman was herself a victim—turned at a blow from a comfortable matron to a naked beggar, in winter, among the ruins of her village, her own friends killed, herself foully abused. Read this, and then talk, if you dare, about “exaggerated accounts”! “December 12, 1895. “My Dear Son:— “We received your letter dated November 14th, which we read with great pleas

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MALATIA AND ITS HARDSHIPS.

MALATIA AND ITS HARDSHIPS.

REV. PROF. THOUMAIAN (The Armenian Christian Exile). Condemned to Death by The Mohammedan Turks, and Rescued by the Intervention of the British Government Letters from Malatia. Malatia, Dec. 22, 1895. My Very Dear Son:— We greet you with the fondest greeting, and it is the desire of our hearts that the good Lord should enable us to see each other again in this mortal flesh. In regard to ourselves, as to how we were, and what we are doing. We are all alive yet with our whole family, no loss of pe

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THE CITY OF SIVAS AND THE ATROCITIES.

THE CITY OF SIVAS AND THE ATROCITIES.

Further Information about Sivas by the Missionaries who wrote to their friends Nov. 12, 1895. “The cyclone which struck on the 12th reached Marsovan on the 15th. Don’t be deceived by any of the silly government statements which attribute all these massacres to the Armenians. It was a deliberate plan on the part of the government to punish the Armenians. The Sultan was irritated because he was forced to give them reforms, so he has had 7,000 Armenians killed to show his power since he signed the

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MARSOVAN AND THE ATROCITIES THERE.

MARSOVAN AND THE ATROCITIES THERE.

I have not been able to get exact information about the number of the martyred Christians in Marsovan, but it is believed that in that missionary station about 1,000 were massacred altogether. The richest men among the congregation were murdered, and so thoroughly plundered that their children are left wholly destitute; and the lives of the missionaries are in danger. The writer is well acquainted with this city, as he was the pastor at Talas, only three miles away, for years. It has about 50,00

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CESAREA (KAISERIEH).

CESAREA (KAISERIEH).

If you are not in good circumstances there, you must feel satisfied and give the thanks to God always. We also have to thank God that we are still living. It is one month now that we have not been able to go out in the streets. O Lord, help us, Oh! what shall we come to? Oh, my dear brother, if you can help us in any way please do so; make lectures, get some help; everybody is dying of hunger. I cannot write any longer; we leave all to your conscience. I do not write this letter only to you, but

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AINTAB AND ITS HORRORS.

AINTAB AND ITS HORRORS.

When it became apparent that the mob could not force their way into the places held by the besieged, the soldiers, perhaps having received new orders, resumed a show of activity, fired a few shots into the air, and drove the mob out of the city and dispersed them; this is the last serious fighting that has occurred up to the present time, though local tumults have broken out frequently, several houses have been pillaged and burned, and two Christians at least were shot while being conducted thro

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THE CITY OF BIRIJIK AND THE ATROCITIES.

THE CITY OF BIRIJIK AND THE ATROCITIES.

Oorfa, the old Ur of the Chaldees, where Abraham, the old patriarch of the Bible, was born, was called Edessa in the time of Christ. I have told the story of King Abgar and his conversion in the historical part of this book. It had about 50,000 population, about 20,000 of whom were Armenians before the massacres. Out of that number 8,000 were slaughtered, according to Mr. Fitzmaurice, the British vice-consul who returned from Oorfa to Constantinople on March 21. The Evangelical Armenian pastor,

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DIARBEKIR AND ITS STORY.

DIARBEKIR AND ITS STORY.

Now the government pretends to give bread to the hungry, but nothing is given, and those who have a little give to the others who have nothing; but after a few days nothing will be left to eat. Thank the Lord, the Kurds went out of the city. But it is twenty days now since the massacre took place, and nobody dares to go out to the streets. We have no stores, no money, nothing to eat. Though my personal house was not robbed, but I have ten orphans whose fathers and mothers were killed; I am takin

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TREBIZOND AND ITS ATROCITIES.

TREBIZOND AND ITS ATROCITIES.

TREBIZOND, THE SCENE OF A GREAT ARMENIAN MASSACRE. An Armenian Massacre. Money Cabled to London by the Local Relief Association, Dec. 31, 1895. “Recent letters telling of the massacres in various Armenian cities contain information that helps to explain many points in the awful outbreak of so-called Mohammedan fanaticism. A letter from Trebizond says:— “ ‘Bahri Pasha, governor of Van, started to come to Constantinople, and it was learned that he was bringing with him four of the fairest young ma

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BAIBURT.

BAIBURT.

This is a large city, almost on the boundary line between Russia and Turkey, in Turkish Armenia. It has about 60,000 people, one-third of whom are Armenians. Several times since the last Turko-Russian war the Christian Armenians have been massacred there by the Turks and the regular soldiers, and during the recent atrocities also there were massacred, and in all about 3,000 Armenians were killed. Letter from Erzeroum. “Nov. 27, 1895.—The massacre evidently was pre-arranged. It began all over the

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ERZEROUM.

ERZEROUM.

The writer became acquainted with many noble Armenians here during his three years in the Theological Seminary, and almost all his friends were killed. Among them were the Rev. Sdepan Jirnazian, a noble Christian minister,—when I was a little boy he was my pastor in the suburbs of Antioch;—Bedros Iskiyan, an American citizen, butchered before his wife and children; Garabed Popalian, another noble man, and the richest among the Armenian Evangelical people; Dr. Kevork Gulizian; Khacher Bayramian a

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MARASH.

MARASH.

The valley of the Sakaria (the ancient Sangarius), is, through a part of its course, followed by the Anatolia line of railway. At a spot ninety miles from Constantinople, where the valley broadens out into a considerable plain, is the station and town of Akhisar. This town was, until the tenth of this month, the center of a considerable trade. The plain is dotted with vineyards, olive orchards, mulberry gardens, fields of cotton, wheat, etc. The town consists of about 160 houses of immigrants fr

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AKHISAR.

AKHISAR.

The above missionary also says not only common people, but also officers of high rank, made free threats of massacre, and ostentatiously sharpened their swords and cleaned their weapons in the presence of their Armenian neighbors. Great care was taken by the authorities to deprive the Armenians of arms; but the Mussulmans were allowed to carry arms freely. The Constantinople demonstration and consequent massacre aggravated the situation. It was pitiable to see the fear that held the Armenians as

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ZEITOON.

ZEITOON.

In the province of Aleppo, the village of Chizek, the Armenian priest was killed for refusing to become a Mohammedan. In the province of Erzeroum and the district of Erzinghan, six separate attacks for pillage have been made upon the village of Zimara, and great pressure is being used to force the people of the village to become Mohammedans. At the village of Gazma the houses have been pillaged, and numbers of the people have become Mohammedans to save their lives. In the province of Bitlis a co

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MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

At Garmuri the Christians accepted Mohammedanism at the edge of the sword, and have been circumcised. The Protestant chapel and parsonage were burned, and the Armenian church has been seized and made into a mosque. At Hokh the Armenian church and Protestant chapel and parsonage were burned. At Houilu in the province of Harpoot, 266 out of 300 Christian houses were burned, among them the fine new Protestant church. Two priests were killed. Many of the people succeeded in escaping from the village

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TELEGRAMS FROM HAJIN (ARMENIA).

TELEGRAMS FROM HAJIN (ARMENIA).

My Dear Sir:— Nov. 25, 1895. The situation is growing worse here. All the suburban Christian villages were plundered by Mohammedans. Some of the villages which were plundered were as follows:—Shar-Dere, Roumlou, Kokooun, and Dash-olouk. All of them are left naked and hungry. Came here to our city, and we are taking care of them. And the government never punished any of the plunderers. They were encouraged, and surrounded our city, and nobody can go out of the city, and if this continues so, we s

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INFERENCES FROM THE ARMENIAN ATROCITIES.

INFERENCES FROM THE ARMENIAN ATROCITIES.

Sixth: That Turkey is a mere barbarism; it is not to be considered or treated as a nation, for it is not one in any sense. International law cannot be applied to Turkey. The Sultan must be considered as a brigand, a mere lawless oppressor, and the Turks as mere murderers, and dealt with accordingly. The powers must give up the farce of treating the Sultan as a national sovereign, who speaks for his people, and may govern, therefore, much as he pleases. As Mr. W. W. Howard says, “The blackest spo

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IN THE TURKISH EMPIRE.

IN THE TURKISH EMPIRE.

Smyrna is a city of 150,000 or more population. About 80,000 are Greeks; you may call it a Greek city. The Armenians there number about 8,000, or one-tenth of the Greeks, but are ten times richer than all the Greeks together. The principal buildings are owned by Armenians; the business is in the hands of the Armenians. The chief business men are well-known in Europe. Mr. Balyivzian owns many steamers which ply on the Mediterranean. Mr. Spartalian is another very rich and very benevolent man; he

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IN RUSSIA.

IN RUSSIA.

His parents were Armenian peasants, living in a village not far from Moscow. One day Nicholas I was passing by the hamlet on horseback, and dropped his whip. The Emperor beckoned to young Ayvazovski, and told him to pick it up. The boy approached boldly and asked, “Who are you?” Nicholas replied, “I am the Emperor.” The boy rejoined, “If you cannot take care of your whip, how can you take care of your subjects?” The Emperor was pleased at this remark, and ordered him to be educated at his own ex

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IN PERSIA, INDIA, ETC.

IN PERSIA, INDIA, ETC.

There are very rich merchants among the Armenians at Vienna, Paris, Marseilles, London, and Manchester. There is a strong Armenian colony at Manchester. All of them are merchants, and some of them millionaires. Almost the whole clothing trade between England and Turkey is in their hands. They have a beautiful Armenian church there, and always a learned Armenian bishop; I speak from knowledge and observation. They are much respected by the English. Some of the Armenian gentlemen are married to En

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IN EUROPE.

IN EUROPE.

The Armenians are a new people in America. Seventeen years ago, when the writer first came to this country, there were not more than a hundred in the United States; since then about 10,000 have come, most of them within ten years. The first ones came about forty-five years ago, among them Mr. Minasian and Mr. Sahagian,—both poor young men, now both rich. Mr. Minasian lives at Brooklyn; Mr. Sahagian at Yonkers, N.Y. Those who have come lately are mostly the poorer class; they fled from the “order

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IN AMERICA.

IN AMERICA.

In Smyrna: Arevlian Mamoul. In Etchmiazin: Ararat. In Tiflis: Aghpour, Artzakank, Mishag, Murj, Nor-Tar, Darak. In Venice: Pazmaveb. In Vienna: Hantes Arnsoria. In Marseilles: Armenia. In London: L’Armenic. In New York: Haik. Wherever the Armenians go they carry with themselves the church, the school, and the press. This association is putting forth every effort to alleviate the sufferings of needy Armenians wherever they may be found; their work has already resulted in untold blessings and it d

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THE ARMENIAN RELIEF ASSOCIATION.

THE ARMENIAN RELIEF ASSOCIATION.

Mr. H. K. Samuelian, agent. The headquarters of the association is in New York. I am going to predict the future of Armenia. Not in the usual sense of guessing at it, but in the literal sense of foretelling the truth. I am not a prophet of God, yet my prediction is based on facts, and its accuracy should be given some credit from the way my predictions two or three years ago about the recent atrocities that have already taken place, have come true to the letter. At that time no American or Europ

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THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN EUROPE.

THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN EUROPE.

Towards the end of the Mohammedan power, Mohammedans will begin to kill both the Jews and the Armenians for three and a half years (see Rev. xi, 7, 8, 9). Now, for a year and a half the Mohammedans have been killing the Christians,—which the author predicted two or three years ago; and they will kill two years more. “And the sixth Angel poured out his vial upon the Great River Euphrates and the water thereof was dried up.” (See Rev. xvi, 12.) That means that the people on the shores of the Euphr

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THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON.

THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON.

[From the New York Independent, by special permission.] By the Rev. T. S. Perry. “ Oh! for a year, a month, a day of Oliver Cromwell. ”— The Independent. “ What Lord Salisbury seems to lack is a little Cromwellian courage. ”— A Speaker in City Temple, London. Oh! for an hour of Cromwell, For a leader brave and grand To guide the wrath, and point the path, Of a mighty Christian land! To heed the cry of innocent blood, To blush for the world’s disgrace, With hand to deal a blow of steel In the mur

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LORD SALISBURY.

LORD SALISBURY.

Alas! for a leader heedless While massacred villages flame, Unmoved by shrieks of maidenhood At wrong too foul for name! Strong to throttle the feeble, Feeble to beard the strong, With eye o’er-meek, and blanching cheek,— How long, O Lord, how long? And women cover their faces, And men are fain to hiss. Cromwell’s head upon Temple Bar Were a leader better than this! And heaven grows black with horror, And earth grows red with wrong, And martyrs cry from earth and sky, How long, O Lord, how long?

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DEUS VULT.

DEUS VULT.

O Christian England, ’tis the Christ By Moslem hands is sacrificed! Away, away with hollow words, Now sheath our speech, unsheath our sword! God wills: The guns of Christendom Proclaim the tyrant’s doom has come! Manchester, N. H. By Henry Van Dyke. “ Stand back, ye messengers of mercy! Stand Far off, for I will save my troubled folk In my own way.” So the false Sultan spoke; And Europe, harkening to his base command, Stood still to see him heal his wounded land. Through blinding snows of winter

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TWO SONNETS.

TWO SONNETS.

Of cruel mercy that his hate had planned. Unto the prisoners and the sick he gave New tortures, horrible, without a name; Unto the thirsty, blood to drink; a sword Unto the hungry; with a robe of shame He clad the naked, making life abhorred. He saved by slaughter, but denied a grave. But thou, my country, tho’ no fault be thine For that red horror far across the sea; Tho’ not a tortured wretch can point to thee, And curse thee for the selfishness supine Of those great powers who cowardly combin

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TO THOSE WHO DIED FOR THEIR FAITH.

TO THOSE WHO DIED FOR THEIR FAITH.

But these have overcome! Their Lord In bitter death have not denied! Have chosen still the Crucified In face of bayonet and sword! Our age heroic looms! Our eyes Behold white martyr brows! Still hears Our sin-gray world with unthrilled ears Once more the martyr-chorus rise! Come Thou to succor the great need! Thy judgment shall not long delay! God doeth his strange work to-day! The Judge is at the door! Take heed! Amherst, Mass. By Willimina L. Armstrong. Out of storms and peace light, out of co

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ARMENIA.

ARMENIA.

Leaning beside the portal: Hark to the clashing arms! Hark to the voice in the Garden, to the Nations of Earth it calls, “Bid! for the Woman is Christian blood; And the sword and the bayonet falls!” Sold! A Christian Woman! Sold in the name of Christ! Sold to her death in the Eden with its soil by her blood made damp! Sold in the eve of our Mighty Age! With the light of our Age for a lamp! New York City. By Hetta Lord Hayes Ward. World, world, hear our prayer Oh where is Russia, where? A fearful

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ARMENIA’S BITTER CRY.

ARMENIA’S BITTER CRY.

Pass not on the other side. Look on our dire despair! Where art thou, Czar, oh, where? Land of the sun and sea, Wake, Rome and Italy! Our ancient Church in vain Calls thee to break her chain. Shame! Shame! Shame! Where sleeps thy early fame? To death our priests are led, Their flocks lie slaughtered, dead. Awake, good Pope of Rome! Our saints through blood go home; Hear thou their dying plea, Where, where is Italy? Our saints through blood go home; Hear thou their dying plea, Where, where is Ita

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ARMENIA.

ARMENIA.

All o’er thy verdant plains shall spread, Armenia! The golden grain where thou hast bled, Armenia! Thy harvest song shall yet arise To him who rules in yonder skies, Whose ear has heard thy bitter cries, Armenia! America extends to thee, Armenia! The cordial of her sympathy, Armenia! And every soul in this free land Would give to thee the helping hand, And near thee in thy sorrow stand, Armenia! In this dark hour be brave and strong, Armenia! The right shall triumph over wrong, Armenia! ’Twill n

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ARMENIAN HYMN.

ARMENIAN HYMN.

O Skillful Pilot! Lamp of light, that burneth bright and clear! Strength and assurance grant to me, now hid away in fear. O Thou that makest old things new, renew me and adorn; Rejoice we with salvation, Lord, for which I inly mourn. Giver of good, unto my sins be thy forgiveness given! Lead Thy disciples, Heavenly King, unto the flocks of Heaven. Defeat the evil husbandman that soweth tares and weeds; Wither and kill in me the fruits of all his evil seeds! O Lord, grant water to my eyes, that t

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THE LAMENT OF MOTHER ARMENIA.

THE LAMENT OF MOTHER ARMENIA.

Ages have passed, no news of them I hear; Dead, dead are they, my sons that knew not fear. I weep, the blood is frozen in my veins; No one will cure my sorrows and my pains. My blood is failing and my heart outworn, My face forever mournful and forlorn; To my dark grave with grief I shall descend, Longing to see my children to the end. O wandering shepherd, you whose mournful song Rings through the valleys as you pass along! Come, let us both, with many a bitter tear, Weep for the sad death of o

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LIBERTY.

LIBERTY.

Wrapped round with many swaddling bands, All night I did not cease to weep, And in the cradle, restless still, My cries disturbed my mother’s sleep. “O mother!” in my heart I prayed, “Unbind my arms and leave me free!” And even from that hour I vowed To love thee ever, Liberty! When first my faltering tongue was freed, And when my parents’ hearts were stirred With thrilling joy to hear their son Pronounce his first clear-spoken word, “Papa, mamma,” as children use, Were not the names first said

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THE WANDERING ARMENIAN TO THE SWALLOW.

THE WANDERING ARMENIAN TO THE SWALLOW.

There dwells afar my father, A mournful man and gray, Who for his only son’s return Waits vainly, day by day. If thou shouldst chance to see him, Greet him with love from me; Bid him sit down and mourn with tears His son’s sad destiny. In poverty and loneliness, Tell him, my days are passed: My life is only half a life. My tears are falling fast. To me, amid bright daylight, The sun is dark at noon; To my wet eyes at midnight Sleep comes not, late or soon. Tell him that, like a beauteous flower

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NOTICE.

NOTICE.

From the testimonials of prominent clergymen, authors, and secretaries of Y.M.C.A. ’s, the following few are selected. From Dr. R. S. Storrs, President of the American Board of Foreign Missions. Your address to my congregation was admirable in its tone, and its entire impression upon those who heard it. Your knowledge of the facts presented is, of course, accurate and complete; and your method of presenting the facts is clear, impressive, and leaves the minds instructed and the hearts quickened.

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Corrections

Corrections

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Abbreviations

Abbreviations

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